Any Dave Matthews Band fans relieved to see the group at Summerfest this year instead of its usual local venue, the headache-prone Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, faced some hassles nonetheless Sunday.

Five minutes before the band was scheduled to start, the line into the American Family Insurance Amphitheater stretched nearly all the way back to the interior box office just inside the southern entrance.

Once inside, the flow of traffic was forced to travel one way instead of splitting off like usual into two ramps.

The band does have a new player, though: keyboardist and organist Buddy Strong, who showed off his flashy bona fides at the tail end of a country rocking “Hello Again,” and jumped into a funky follow-the-leader jam with guitarist Tim Reynolds for finale “Jimi Thing.”

In addition to a new member, there were new songs. A lot of them. Arguably, too many of them.

They’re from last month’s “Come Tomorrow,” an album defenders may call mature but others, myself included, would say is sluggish, even more so in concert. For the show’s first half, DMB would jump back and forth from a fan favorite to a newer tune like an acoustic “Here on Out” or a soggy “Virginia in the Rain,” killing the momentum and triggering widespread sit downs and beer runs.

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Summerfest has announced 167 headliners for 2018. Here are some of the highlights by genre.
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What really resonated were those familiar songs going as far back as the '90s — an interesting circumstance considering how much the fan base relishes DMB’s freewheeling jams and it’s “no show is the same” calling card.

But the musicians seemed to love them just as much. With blustery trumpet, Rashawn Ross soared during the salsa portions of “Warehouse,” a fan favorite that also slipped into crunchy rock and Memphis soul. Jeff Coffin kept topping himself with one flashy sax solo after another near the end of show finale “Jimi Thing.”

Tim Reynolds commanded “Corn Bread” with tangy Texas slide guitar, and Matthews – as soulful and emotive a vocalist as ever – sang the fiery finish of “You Might Die Trying” like his life depended on it.

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Summerfest has finished announcing its headliners for the 2018 festival. Here's a look at who's been named to appear at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater. Summerfest runs this year from June 27 through July 1 and July 3 through July 8. Rick Wood/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Between 5,000 and 7,000 fans were let into Summerfest for free in 2013 to relieve a massive bottleneck, largely of Imagine Dragons fans, outside the gates. The alternative rock band returns to the festival June 27 to play the American Family Insurance Amphitheater on opening night. Omar Vega / Associated Press

James Taylor will headline the festival on June 28. Taylor is one of the world's top-selling artists with 100 million records sold. Recent milestones include his first Billboard 200 chart-topper, "Before This World," in 2015 and a Kennedy Center honor in 2016. Getty Images

Bonnie Raitt will open for James Taylor on June 28. It's a road reunion for the two friends, who played 17 shows across the country last summer. Raitt has won 10 Grammys and is considered one of the 100 greatest singers and guitarists of all time by Rolling Stone. Journal Sentinel files

Pop star Halsey will perform on June 29. Less than three years ago, Halsey was a little-known artist opening an arena tour for Imagine Dragons, including at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. But in 2017, she was the third-most streamed female artist, according to Billboard. Journal Sentinel files

Rapper Logic will co-headline with Halsey on June 29. Logic's anti-suicide anthem "1-800-273-8255," from his Billboard 200-topping 2017 album "Everybody," went triple-platinum in the U.S. and received a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year. Getty Images

NF has been added as the opening act for Halsey and Logic's Summerfest show on June 29. The Michigan native and Christian hip-hop artist has found widespread success with his 2017 album "Perception." Universal Music

Florida Georgia Line will perform at the amphitheater on June 30. The pop country duo is a regular booking for the Big Gig, headlining for the first time in 2015 after playing an afternoon slot in 2012 and appearing with Luke Bryan in 2013 and 2014. Journal Sentinel files

Pop singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha will open for Florida Georgia Line June 30. The two acts collaborated on the hit single "Meant To Be," so expect to see a joint performance of the song. Jerod Harris / Getty Images

The Dave Matthews Band will headline the festival on July 1. The show is part of the band's first North American tour since 2012 and coincides with a new album due out this summer. Rick Wood/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

J. Cole will headline the American Family Insurance Amphitheater on July 3. His 2016 album "4 Your Eyez Only" was the hip-hop star's fourth consecutive No. 1 album on the Billboard 200. All 10 tracks on the album cracked the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, with "Deja Vu," J. Cole's biggest hit to date, peaking at No. 7. Associated Press

Blake Shelton will headline the American Family Insurance Amphitheater on July 6. It will be the third time the country music artist will headline the Summerfest amphitheater. His last appearance there was just two years ago. Since then, Shelton released his 11th studio album, "Texoma Shore," featuring Billboard's country airplay chart-topper "I'll Name the Dogs." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel files

Pop superstar The Weeknd will play his first Milwaukee show ever July 7 at Summerfest's American Family Insurance Amphitheater. Weeknd is the eighth most-streamed artist in the world on Spotify and his latest hit, "Pray for Me," is the lead single for the Kendrick Lamar-curated "Black Panther" soundtrack. Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Arcade Fire will close out Summerfest on July 8, for its first Milwaukee concert since the then little-known band appeared at the Mad Planet in 2004. The Big Gig show comes a year after the release of the band's fifth album, "Everything Now," which netted Arcade Fire its first-ever No. 1 single, with the AAA chart-topping title track. Associated Press